Cap



D. D. HUTTON Aug. 4, 1953 CAP Filed .necf, 20, 1951 FIG.

FIG. I

INVENTOR Dam/4y [m7- zzzzwz Y QM? ATTOR s Patented Aug. 4, l953 CAP ' Dorothy Dear Hutton, NewYorlgN. Y. A pplicationDecember 20, 1951, SerialNo. 262,526

, '1 This invention relates to caps'for women and is directed to the provision 'of bathing and similar caps of a distinctive and improved. form eliminating a deficiency of such caps as heretofore made. -With those prior forms of. caps, the operations of applying-and removing the cap are ac companied by aderangement of the hair which is decidedly objectionable, so much 'so that it is of frequent occurrence. that women do not go into the water when they would like to because this derangement causes an amount of inconvenience and annoyance for which the desired bath isinsufiicient recompense. y

A common form of cap for women as heretofore made is one which includes a close-fitting cap part which comes down snugly over the head, so snugly that it may appropriately be termed a skull cap. This may be formed of an elastic material or be provided with elastic material at its edge and this elastic material is stretched in the operations of putting on the cap and removing the cap, and, when the cap is in place, thecontraction of the elastic causes the edge of the cap to press upon the surface of the head enough to exclude water. Sucha cap is satisfactory insofar as Concerns the exclusion of water, but the operations of applying it and removing it, and the pressure applied to the hair while it is being worn, any one or all of these, result in deranging the hair to a disagreeable and regrettable extent.

Another type of womens cap available on the market and described in the literature is one which is not of the skull cap variety, but instead extends loosely over the head and is of a soft flexible material and is provided with an plying the hood portion to the head has been elastic extending part or all the way around the opening. Such a cap may be applied or removed only by stretching this elastic which is depended upon to hold the edge of the cap close to the face and neck to exclude water. In applying or removing a cap of this type, derangement of the hair occurs almost invariably to a greater or less extent, the extent of the derangement depending upon the care with which this elastic is stretched and held extended over a considerable part of its length throughout the operation of applying or removing the cap.

My improved bathing cap is distinctive in that the cap or hood portion is of a soft pliable material and is of ample size to be applied and removed without mussing the hair. This hood or cap portion is applied or removed without any stretching of any part of its structure and means are provided whereby, when the operation of apcompleted without deranging the hair to any appreciableextent, then something else is done to eifect the necessary tightening around the face to accomplish the exclusion of water.

The cap is made of a thin, limp, flexible material, which may be a stretchable material, in whole or in part, such as latex. The cap is of a size suitable for covering the head to the extent usual in womens bathing caps, and it is distinctive in that a slit is provided from the edge of the opening of the cap up to a point near the peak of the cap and the edges of this slit are provided with detachable fastening means, such as a zipper including a slider of the usual type. The elements of the zipper may be of metal or they may be of plastic, preferably the latter. Also, a flap of fabric is provided in position to underlie the slit so that when the slider is drawn down to close the slit, this flap will insure that the sliderwill not catch upon the hair.

The slit referred to may be and preferably is at one side of the cap, extending from the peak down to the opening at the bottom, preferably at a point near the chin of the wearer.

A cap made in this manner may be opened by moving the slider to the top of the zipper and in that open condition it may be applied to the head readily and without deranging the hair at all. With the cap so applied and after noting that the flap is in proper position, the zipper is drawn down from a high point on the cap to the lower edge, thereby drawing the sides of the slit together, with the result that when the slider has reached the bottom of the zipper all parts of the cap are in proper positions. The cap may then be fastened under the chin of the wearer by securing means so positioned as to insure that the edge of the opening in the cap will lie snugly against the base of the head and the sides of the face and forehead with adequate pressure to insure the exclusion of water.

I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of one of the forms in which the invention may be embodied; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the parts of the cap spread out as they may be when the slider of the zipper is at the top; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the zipper; and Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the cap applied to the wearer, Fig. 4 showing the cap open as it is when the slider is at the top, and Fig. 5 showing the cap closed with the slider of the zipper at the bottom.

The cap as shown in Fig. 1 has a hood portion of a flexible limp material which may be a fabric, or it may be sheet rubber, or part fabric and part rubber. The hood portion has downwardly and forwardly-extending portions 6 and 6 which, when the cap is on a wearers head, lie at the sides of the wearers face below the level of the ears. A slit or opening extends from the bottom forward edge of the portion 5 to a point near the top of the hood portion, and the stringer elements I of a slide fastener are attached to the edges of this slit. In Fig. 2 the slider 65 of the slide fastener is shown at the top and the parts at opposite sides of this opening are turned back. The flap 8 is secured to the inner side of the sheet material of the cap, extending lengthwise of the slit, so that when the two edges are drawn together, this flap will underlie the slide fastener and serve as a guard to prevent the slider from catching on the hair as it is moved down the length of the zipper.

Fig, 4 shows the cap as initially applied to the head. The operation of so applying it does not cause any derangement or the hair because the cap is applied when the slider of the slide fastener is at the top, and the hood portion is, in effect, so enlarged that the cap can be readily applied. In this position, the slider is drawn down all the way, bringing the edges of the slit together and drawing the cap up to its final position in which it is shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the corners at opposite sides of the base are fastened together by suitable means, here shown as a chin strap 9 fastened at one of its ends at one side of the cap and adapted to be passed around under the chin and fastened to the other" side of the cap by a snap fastener or other suitable means adjacent the lower end of the slit.

By providing the downwardly and forwardlyextending portions to lie at the sides of the face below the level of the ears, and having the slit extend from the bottom forward. edge of the portion 5, and having the chin strap connect to the portion 5 adjacent the lower end of the slit, the edges of the hood portion not only are pulled tight against the wearers neck, face and forehead to effect a seal, but there is no force exerted at the bottom of the slit in a forward direction and in opposition to the force exerted by the lower edge of the hood portion which passes around the back of the wearers neck, such as would tend to pull the slide fastener open. Also, the direction of the force exerted by the chin strap, when the cap is on a wearer's head and the edges defining the slit are pulled together, is substantially in alignment with the slit so that it tends to lessen the effectiveness of any forces which may be exerted by the lower edge of the hood portion which might tend to pull the slide fastener.

I claim:

A cap having a hood portion made of limp, flexible material having downwardly and forwardly-extending portions which, when the cap is being worn, lie at the sides of the wearer's face, forward of the ears, said hood portion also having a slit therein extending from a point near the top of the cap down to its periphery at a point adjacent the lower forward edge of said forwardly-extending portions, the material at the sides of the slit being provided with stringer elements of a slide fastener, a slider cooperating with said stringer elements which may be moved from the top down to the bottom of the slit to draw the material at the sides of the slit together to cause'the cap to enclose the head, a flap of flexible material secured to the inner side of the hood portion adjacent one edge of the slit and in a position to overlie the slide fastener when the edges defining the slit are drawn together, and a chin strap for pulling the forwardly-extendingportions downwardly and towards one another to hold the cap on a wearer's head and to hold the edges thereof tightly against portions of the wearers head to effect a seal at the edges of the cap, one end of said chin strap, when the cap is being worn, extending from a point adjacent the lower end of the slit, whereby the direction of the force exerted by the chin strap when the edges defining the slit are pulled together is substantially in alignment with the slit so that the effectiveness of any forces exerted by the lower edge of the hood portion which tend to open the slide fastener is lessened.

DOROTHY DEAR HUTION.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,229,825 Stachel Jan. 28, 1941 2,465,998 Bowditch Apr. 5, 1949 2,520,048 Moore Aug. 22, 1950 

